Astrologer Teri Parsley Starnes welcomes you to the Starsdance. I invite you to join me in contemplating the wonder of sky and Earth. Through following the Moon, the planets, and the wisdom of the seasons and signs, my goal is to offer a useful practice of mindfulness and intention for the thoughtful seeker. Shall we dance?

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Saturday, November 9, 2013

Follow the Moon: Forecast November 10, 2013 – November 16

As I spend
time this lunar cycle* with the intention to embrace the dark, I know I need
more than an affirmation to keep going. It is difficult to trust this part of
the journey. Doubts arise. Just how much darkness are we talking about? Will I
have to give up something precious? Will I lose my way? When fears threaten to
overtake me, my core beliefs give me something to hold onto. These beliefs give
me context, show me the way out of places I feel stuck, and help me to decide
my next step, even when I can’t see very far ahead. Even when I am in the dark
about a lot of things, there are some things that I know.

Our lives are about more than our
individual experiences. Each of us is part of a bigger picture. We belong to a
vast web of connection. I trust the relationships that are sometimes hidden
from view. There are guides and there are reasons I am here, even when I can’t
see them.

I belong to the natural world and
the natural world shows me where I am in a cycle or stage of my life. I trust
the process. Thus, I know that darkness has a balancing and healing function
and it will eventually give way to light, which in turn will fall back into
darkness.

I’ll have more than one chance to
do what I need to do, whether that is learning, healing, finding my life
purpose, or expressing my gifts—wherever my soul is leading me. I can make
mistakes. I can even forget my mission, and my soul will call again to give me
another opportunity.

These
beliefs work for me. What are yours? One of the gifts of the dark journey is to
come to know our essential truths even when they seem to have deserted us. Somewhere
waiting for us is discovery and a deeper resiliency because of it. I guess
that’s another one of my core beliefs.

The transits
this week emphasize the water signs. The flow can help us navigate towards our
core beliefs, but it can also dissolve the foundation of those beliefs. Notice
shifting emotions, some of these are telling us important information and
others are adding fuel to misguided beliefs. This quality of water can be quite
challenging, especially when committing to the dark. What do you know without
reservation? Who are your guides through times of doubt? I offer these beliefs:
you are worthy of being here, you have gifts to give us, and you don’t have to
be perfect.

Forecast November 10, 2013 – November 16

Moon enters Pisces 8:36 pm CST
Sunday, November 10. At long last Mercury stations
direct in Scorpio after turning retrograde on October 21. Now, Mercury begins
the third pass through this segment of the zodiac where we complete the lessons
and undo the mix-ups we experienced since the retrograde station. Mercury
reaches the end of this part of the journey on November 28th, Thanksgiving.
Just in time to interact with friends and family in a more direct way. Mercury has been digging deep into our
psyches. It feels like we’ve been purging old and toxic patterns. If you feel
exhausted by the effort of releasing and coping with strong emotion the last
three weeks, congratulate yourself for the work. The reward is increased power,
vitality, and self-knowledge. Mercury stations direct in a water trine to
Neptune, which is also powerful right now due to being stationary itself.
(Neptune will station direct on Wednesday.) The next two days will be strongly influenced
by these two planets, which emphasizes intuitive knowing and transcendent
experiences. There is also a need to turn off the input. Find time for solitude,
daydreaming, or getting lost in an experience. Notice your patterns around
numbing and escapism too.

Moon in Pisces
Monday, November 11. Read yesterday’s forecast
because much of that energy applies today too. Things feel right if we are
willing to surrender to the flow. It may mean everyone is more sensitive, but
that is OK. We learn that empathy creates understanding, which creates
opportunity to move forward. This means we don’t have to rationally know why we
are doing what we are doing, we just need to base our actions from the heart.
Some of us will be needing to repair relationship or miscommunications that
happened during the Mercury retrograde cycle, keep these heart messages and
attunements in mind as you begin that work.

Moon in Pisces
Tuesday, November 12. There’s a kite in the sky today.
That is an aspect formation comprised of three planets in trine with each other
in the water signs (a triangle) that is bisected by a pair of planets in
opposition to each other (Mars in Virgo opposite Moon in Pisces). The result
looks like a kite when drawn in a chart. [Nicholas Campion writes a brief
explanation of aspect patterns here: http://www.skyscript.co.uk/aspects2.html]
The tendency to get overwhelmed by water is helped by a Mars challenge. His
challenge: Don’t just be happy with knowing how you feel; take pragmatic action
to make those feelings useful. Emotion is information, but isn’t the end of our
self-discovery. We also must do something constructive with those emotions.

Moon enters Aries at 1:39 am CST
November 13—Gibbous Moon: Perfecting. We notice a
distinct shift in energy today. The watery flow of the last three days gives
way to action. This is the pattern activated over and over by the Moon moving
through the zodiac. Water signs are followed by fire signs. Water signs call up
our memories. Fire signs transform them into new life. Water signs ask us to
retreat into private spaces of soul. Fire sign incite us to emerge from an
interior experience into a more expansive and interactive arena. Are you
noticing this pulsation from inner to outer? How does this dynamic play into
your lunar intentions for this month? The dark can be a cathartic place. The
next step in healing may be to move from sensing into choosing. You’ve got
something to do. Where will your experiences lead you next on this soul
journey?

The Moon
joins Uranus and squares Venus and Pluto. A new dynamic to the Uranus/Pluto
square becomes apparent. Venus will be moving closer to a conjunction with
Pluto over the next two days. Look for women to take an important role in
bringing necessary change to the world. Beauty and justice, two qualities
precious to Venus, inform our choices and give us power.

Moon in Aries
Thursday, November 14. Just because we embrace the dark
at this time of the year, does not mean we completely recede into inaction. The
tension comes from the paradox between rest and action. What injustice really
bothers you right now? The dark is a potent source of power. Corruption doesn’t
really like the kind of power that is comfortable with the dark, perhaps
because there are fewer places to hide. Claim the power of shadow that will not
allow injustice to thrive. Venus squares Uranus today. Shake it up. There are
more options than you thought.

Moon enters Taurus 8:49 am CST
Friday, November 15. Every fire sign in the zodiac is
followed by an earth sign. Outward energy coalesces into solid form. That
happens today. What if there are no mistakes? Wherever that fire energy of the
last two days has brought you, it is the perfect place to begin to lay down
more structure. Sometimes we want to hang onto a particular elemental energy we
are fond of. The Moon teaches us that everything must change; everything has
its time to be and its time to be no more. Hopefully, you took bolder action
over the past two days. Regardless of how that went, you now get to look at
issues of longevity, commitment, and sustainability. Venus in Capricorn (an earth
sign) conjoins Pluto in Capricorn. She means business here. How will you invite
this ally to help you become more formidable yourself? The Moon opposes a
newly-direct Mercury. This solidity translates into communication as well. Say
what you mean.

Moon in Taurus
Saturday, November 16. Tomorrow is the exact moment of
the Full Moon, but today is a great lead in. The Moon in Taurus is opposite
Scorpio, the sign inspiring the intentions of this lunar cycle. Oppositions
invite integration to bring illumination. Taurus is the sign of spring’s
regeneration, calling us into the dance of creation. Scorpio, of course, is the
sign of fall’s dying time, calling us into the dance with the dark. Potent
forces! Are you glad to be a dancer in this grand waltz? The best qualities of
earth are manifest today. Capable, determined, ambitious, discerning, and
accountable, earth signs mirror for us what it takes to create something
lasting. Celebrate the ways you show up with these qualities in your life. This
is the way we create meaning from the dark.

*To read more about the intention of this
lunar cycle and the Scorpio intention, visit: http://tinyurl.com/lf7ay2c